This study examined the relative influence of religiousness on a sub-sample of adolescents (N = 1911) from a nationally representative sample of youth. Outcome measures included delinquency, substance abuse, physical health, mental health, and education. The study controlled for family processes and peer influences, as well as a variety of sociodemographic factors.

Parent religiosity and family processes, especially parental styles, are found to influence girls more so than boys, while exposure to peer influences affects both boys and girls on all outcome measures except delinquency. Findings highlight gender related similarities and differences that should be taken into account when providing interventions to adolescents and their families.

Bibliography Citation

Caputo, Richard K. "Religiousness and Adolescent Behaviors: A Comparison of Boys and Girls." Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work 24,3 (2005): 39-67.

This study examined the differential effects of both parents’ religious service attendance on adolescent substance use. A secondary data analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997, Round 1 was conducted using a sample of 4,828 adolescents ages 12 to 16 (mean age 14 years). Results suggest that attending religious services more than once a week by both parents is associated with adolescents being less likely to use substances. Adolescents residing in households where the father never attended religious services and the mother attended religious services once a month and adolescents residing in households where the father never attended religious services and the mother attended more than once a week were almost 4 times more likely to use substances than adolescents residing in households where both parents attended religious services more than once a week. There was no evidence to support that having one parent attending religious services more than the other compensated for the effects of the low frequency attending parent. Implications for faith-based policy initiatives and practice are discussed. Future research should determine why having a more frequent attending parent did not compensate for the effects of having a low frequent attending parent on adolescent substance use.